Sheldon Keefe is explaining why Connor Hellebuyck will sit in Winnipeg on Tuesday, and the Devils' reasoning keeps shifting.
Jake Allen is expected to get the start when New Jersey visits the Jets. It will be Hellebuyck's first game in Winnipeg since he left the franchise that drafted him in the fifth round in 2012.
We have followed this since Sunday, when Sunny Mehta's statement on Hellebuyck's Winnipeg return first made it official. Mehta said then that starting Hellebuyck there could lower the team's expected win probability. He also acknowledged that the goalie was adamant about wanting to play.
Now Keefe has added a workload argument. "If you look at it from our end of it, tonight was his third game in six nights," he said. "He's been at this for less than two weeks with us."
The coach also pointed to what follows Winnipeg, with divisional games against the Capitals back home. Washington arrives Thursday.
Keefe did not dodge the emotional side either. "So I understand the sensitivity to the situation when you're hyperfocused on that game, as the Jets fans would be, understandably," he said.
Then he zoomed out. "This is a goaltender that is not going to play every single game of the season. You're always looking for times to give him a night off. The schedule falling the way that it does, it just made sense."
Why not let Hellebuyck play in Winnipeg?
Rest is a fair reason in the abstract. Hellebuyck stopped all 23 shots in a 4-0 win in Toronto on Sunday, and he has played five games for New Jersey this season. That is a light load by any goalie's standard.
Allen is 36 and has played nine games for the Devils. He is a capable backup, and the Devils are 9-1-0 in their last 10 and have won five straight. Winning in Winnipeg without their starter is realistic.
But three different explanations in three days, from workload to win probability to sensitivity, make the decision look like it was made for the optics. If Hellebuyck wants to play and the schedule allows it, sitting him is the wrong call. Winnipeg's fans get one night to react to him this season, and the Devils took it away.
Whether Hellebuyck says anything about it before Tuesday is still unknown. Puck drop is Tuesday, and Allen is expected to be in the crease.
Quick hits
NASHVILLE PREDATORS: Jonathan Marchessault is listed alone at the end of the Predators' practice lines Monday, apart from every forward group. That is a lineup situation worth watching.
-
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS: Kevin Korchinski looks to be on the outside again as the Blackhawks went through practice lines Monday, per Charlie Roumeliotis and Scott Powers. His spot in the lineup is anything but secure.
-
OTTAWA SENATORS: Ridly Greig is back participating at practice this morning. The lines shared by NHL Game Day Lines have him on the third line.
-
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS: Aaron Portzline reported that Sean Monahan and Denton Mateychuk were among the early players on the ice ahead of Monday's practice. Good sign for both.
-
EDMONTON OILERS: Devon Levi is getting the start tonight against the Rangers, RotoWire reports this morning. The Binnington buzz has cooled for now.
-
Should the Devils have let Connor Hellebuyck start in Winnipeg?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Boston sends Florida home embarrassed after chaos involving Brady and Matthew Tkachuk
